A leading startup company veteran from America believes the key to building a successful startup ecosystem is to plan in 20-year blocks, not just short-term success or failure.

Troy Henikoff, who co-founded Chicago-based Excelerate Labs, which grew to become the third largest startup accelerator programme in the world, is in Wellington this week to share his thoughts on how to gain the most from startup companies.

His company has now partnered with Techstars, considered a leading global accelerator programme, which in the past six years raised over $410 million in investment for 212 businesses.

"The way a community works and an entrepreneurial community, in particular, is it's a network, it's not a hierarchy.

"It's not a business; it's a network of individuals who are all contributing to the whole."

While in Wellington Henikoff has led group sessions on how to pitch ideas, financial modelling, building better start-up communities and optimising digital marketing.

He said one thing which would help spur Wellington and New Zealand start-ups and startup communities would be to ensure any successes were celebrated.

"The more the community recognises some of these principals, that it's a network, anyone can join, that the strong nodes are the ones who do more for the other people by giving before they get, that's the way you get things done.